Twister
by xMemoirx
Summary: Just when you think you know someone, they can twist your world beyond repair. Full summ. inside. Rated T for safety.
1. Twist

Okay, as far as timelines go, this isn't before or after the game, it's a rewrite…sort of. There are a lot of differences. I hope you enjoy! Reviews will be rewarded with cookies. And blueberry pancakes.

1:Twist

Joshua had followed me to work. Again. Like Wild Kat wasn't busy enough without him bothering me all day. He'd wait outside in the morning, spend all day in the kitchen, and he'd never. Shut. Up. I never had a spare moment; it was either work, or police interrogation. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

My name is Ren Hanasaki. I work at Wild Kat, the coffee shop on Cat Street in Shibuya. It's something to keep food on the table, and being older than my brother made that my job. Even if this job makes me question my sanity from time to time. When you wish you had your annoying, 13-year-old brother hanging around all day, losing your sanity was a legitimate fear.

"Okay, let's say that you're surrounded by a group of thugs." Great, here come the questions. "They have guns, and every intention to kill you. You're unarmed, what do you do? " I wondered how he could ask that so nonchalantly, like he was asking what my favorite color was. Might as well humor him.

"Well, I'd cause some groin pain via my foot, and run for my life." He smirked.

"They're girls."

"I'd give them hangnails and laugh? Have you seen _any_ female thugs in Shibuya?"

"You're the closest thing." He grinned at me darkly. It was hard to keep my eyes from darting to the knife block on the counter.

"Sanae! Either get rid of the knives, or get rid of Joshua! I don't want a murder record!" I yelled to my boss. He poked his head into the kitchen.

"Josh's our best customer. You can't kill him." Can't? He was pushing my limits.

"Then get him out of the kitchen so I can finish working."

"You mean you didn't check the calendar Ren? You get off early today. And we don't have enough customers for me to pay you overtime." Oh yeah, I forgot that this café was about as rich as I was. I wasn't about to argue about free time though. I hung my apron on a peg and swung my string bag over my shoulder. Before I could walk out the door, I felt someone grab my hand and pull me back inside.

"Joshua, _what is it?_" I was about to smack the guy. I wasn't on shift; I didn't care who the best customer was.

"I had one more question. Have you heard of Cyco Records? " I just nodded my head to keep from yelling at him.

"They got some new CDs in stock today. I was going anyway, and I thought you might want to come." I opened my mouth to respond when the door opened.

Thank whatever God's listening that I have a brother.

"Hey, Ren, you're done already?" Kyou had a natural talent for bursting into rooms at the wrong moment. For once in my life, I was thankful for that.

"Yeah, I'm done. Mr. H's going to go bankrupt if I work overtime. Anyway, Joshua just invited me to Cyco Records – you want to come?"

"What, that shady place in Udagawa? Wasn't someone killed there last week? Saku-something?" He looked at Joshua. "You're kidding right?" The smirk returned to Joshua's face.

"Well if you're scared Kyou, nobody's making you come." I rolled my eyes. They got kicks out of bothering each other. Kyou snarled a bit.

"_Fine_, I'll go." He paused before continuing. "But first…" He leaned across the counter and shoved a coffee mug onto the floor. It shattered into ten pieces.

"Thanks, right after he leaves early, you try to get me fired! Why do you always break Mr. H's stuff?"

"Because it's fun. Now let's go before he breaks a blood vessel."

"What, and miss all the entertainment?"

"Joshua, don't encourage him!" I pushed them out the back door and headed for Udagawa.

* * *

The Udagawa back streets are dangerous for anyone. They're full of drug dealers, gangs, killers…it was scary to think you couldn't take a walk anymore without fearing for your life.

I noticed some guys staring after me, and one even dared to whistle. I watched in shock as Joshua pulled a gun out of his pocket and aimed it at the man's head.

"If you want to walk away with your small brain intact, you'll apologize to my friend." The man nodded and muttered something along the lines of 'Sorry, it won't happen again.' and ran off. We walked to the CD store in silence, because neither of us would've put it past Joshua to shoot.

I walked out of the store with my MP3 on full volume in my ears. I had downloaded a few new songs for it, and Kyou had bought some new CDs. I had to admit, it was strange for Joshua to bring us here, and the scene with the gun had scared the crap out of me. But, the music made it worth it.

I paused the song when I noticed a man with dark hair and a black cap pointing two guns at us. I tried to run, but my feet were rooted to the ground. Before I heard the gunshots, a stream of questions ran through my head. Who was this guy? What was so special about killing me? Hadn't I known not to come here? Did _he_ set this up? If my vision wasn't clouding with red, I could swear that Joshua was smiling.

* * *

Aight, chapter 1! I'll update when I get the time, and remember: reviews earn you pancakes and cookies.


	2. InDependence

Glad I finally got some reviews! This chapter has parts in Kyou's point of view too, so tell me if you like it or not.

Jestry- Kyou is Ren's brother. Joshua's the same age as he was in the game (15.) Kyou is 13, and Ren is 15. Maybe the death was set up, maybe not. Read and find out. –vanishes in a puff of smoke-

Naunen- Strange about the guns. But remember that Joshua, Sho, and Uzuki had them in the game. The only thing I'm revealing about the death is that it was definitely someone in the UG. The descriptions are coming in this chapter; the real-life Kyou was rushing me on the first chapter.

* * *

2: **In**Dependence

The first thing I noticed was the pavement is my face. I shook his head and sat up. _Where the hell am I? We were in Udagawa…that creep that shot at us…and that's all. Am I dreaming? _Suddenly, I heard voices shouting at me, millions of them at once. Well, it was more like I was _feeling_ the voices, not hearing them.

"What is this, the non-alcoholic version of a hangover?" I looked around, realizing I was lying in the middle of the street. People were rushing by me on all sides, all of them talking at once. I noticed the 104 building down the street, so this must the crosswalk._ Why am I here?_ There was a muffled ringing sound from my pocket; the phone Ren and I shared. Looks like a text.

_Game I: x 30 + 74 t 60 min. Incompletes will be destroyed._

If this was Joshua's idea of a joke, he would kill the bastard.

"Hey, you!" I snapped my head up at the high-pitched voice. There was a girl about my age in an orange sweater across the street. She started running towards me; or away from the frogs that were following her. She kicked at them, but they kept coming, intent on attacking her. She was close enough for me to hear her yell.

"Make a pact! We aren't going to last much longer without one!"

"If it'll get rid of these things!" There was a strange pull in my chest, and blue lights bursted out from us, sending the frogs flying away.

"What…was that?" The girl took her black hat off and shook her short blonde hair out.

"That was you and I forming a pact. Looks like we'll be partners for the week."

"Partners meaning…?" If Josh was behind this, he was devoted.

"Partners in the Reaper's Game. I'm Raimu Bito, call me Rhyme though. Your name?"

"Um, yeah. Kyou Hanasaki. What exactly is going on?"

"Kyou…we're both dead."

* * *

Ren

* * *

I rolled over, rubbing a sore spot on my side. What had happened after the gunshots, death? There was a cool hand stroking my arm.

"Come on Sleeping Beauty, I know you're awake." Joshua? Must be in hell. I pushed the hand away and jumped to my feet.

"Touch me again and I'll break every one of your prissy fingers one by one." He smirked at me. "Anyway, now that that's out of my system, where are we?"

"At the statue of Hachiko, 'loyal dog.' It's always been a nice meeting place." I stared at him blankly.

"What the heck are you talking about?"

"Nothing at all." He looked away for a minute before continuing. "Shouldn't we make a pact soon, before the Noise show up? I don't want to get erased on the first day."

"Okay, I'll ask again. What the hell are you talking about?"

"Maybe if you make a pact with me I'll tell you." Gee, that statement helped me so much. I had no idea what I was agreeing to, and the last time I trusted Joshua, I'd been shot to death in Udagawa. Or had I? All I remembered after that was waking up in the plaza. I guess I could live through this if I was indestructible.

"Okay. Fine. I'll make a pact." I felt someone grab my wrist, and saw blue light shoot away from us, covering the plaza. When the light faded, I dropped onto a nearby bench and motioned for Joshua to sit down.

"Start talking."

Day 1 Closed

I stared at the mirror in front of me with the best death glare I could muster. Joshua was reflected in the crystalline glass, smirking like the smug bastard that he was.

"Why can't I see myself?"

"You're dead honey. You don't exist in the RG anymore. Comes with the territory." He did _not_ just call me 'honey.' Easy Ren, deep breaths, count back from ten, do not strangle the only person keeping you alive.

"Honey? Are you gay or something, Joshua?" Ignoring the question, he kept talking.

"I'm reflected because I'm still alive; solid. You're more like air- invisible but very real." Oh, did I mention? My partner had found a way to cheat the system. He was still alive, and partnered to me from the RG, the Realground. While I was dead, visible only in the Underground. We were both in the Reaper's Game. He'd spent all day yesterday explaining this to me. Apparently, he saw dead people. Well, I knew that something was wrong with the guy, but _this_ was beyond weird. There was a lot more to Shibuya than meets the eyes, apparently.

"-Boyfriend?" Oh, I'd been spacing out again.

"What was that?" He sighed dramatically, muttering something about attention.

"I asked why you don't have a boyfriend." Umm. Okay. As far as awkward questions go, this one earned a perfect ten. How had he even gotten to that topic?

"Well, I just never found the right guy. Why do you want to know? Wait, don't answer that. Let's just finish this stupid mission. The gold pin?" He flipped open his cell phone, scanning the mission mail again.

"Yeah, route three. From the Scramble to Molco." Let's not forget that – mysteriously -

Joshua knew everything about the Reapers. Too much for my taste, but of it made the mission easier, I could get out of this sooner.

"There's a Tin Pin slam-off there today. Kyou used to be really into it when he was little. Maybe we'll find him there." I couldn't find my brother yesterday, but Josh had promised up and down that he was in the game. But then, how much could I trust him?

"Sounds good. Maybe we'll have some free time afterward. There were a couple errands I wanted to run." I nodded and ran towards Molco.

* * *

"Damn!" I snarled and shoved the pins into my pocket. "Lost. The mission's screwed I guess."

"Watch. It's not over yet." I looked to where Joshua was pointing. A blonde guy, about nineteen or twenty, was grinning and holding the "Hero Pin" above his head. I felt the burn on my palm cool, and the timer was gone.

"That guy was a player? So I guess we don't have to beat the missions if someone else does. That makes things a lot easier."

"Yeah. And we have some spare time, so I was thinking-"

"I'm pretty sure I don't want to know."

"Aren't we supposed to trust our partners?" That teasing grin was creeping across his face.

"Jeez. Fine. What?" I had the sneaking suspicion I was going to regret this. _Trust your partner, trust your partner, trust your partner._

"We need to do some shopping. You, mostly." What? Shopping? Ex-cuse me?

"No. Never. Not in a million years."

"_Ren_." Translation: 'You're coming if I have to drag your bitchy ass the way back to 104. Move.'

"…Fine." Well, I was still wearing my work clothes. A grungy tee shirt and ripped jeans aren't exactly flattering. If I had to be dead, I could at least look good.

And that was how I wound up in a dressing room in the nearest Pegaso, glowering at my reflection. (Because I actually _had_ one this time. 'The Reaper decals make you visible. You didn't know that?')

Thankfully, dying doesn't butcher your appearance too much. I had the same short black hair, pale skin, and slate gray eyes. (Which were narrowed in annoyance.) I twisted around to check my back, or the tattoo there. It was a tiny pair of black angel wings, right below my neck. My parents had gotten me tattooed at the age of ten, as a birthday present. To help take my mind off the searing pain, they'd talked to me about their jobs, and how they were getting more and more demanding. They left home about a week later, right after they'd given Kyou his own mark. (A small chain tattoo, around his left wrist.) It's not like I didn't know something was up, but I knew that they didn't want us involved, probably for our protection. So I'd stayed quiet, kept close to Kyou, and gotten a job to help our guardians out a little. _And then wound up dead and spiritually bonded to some creep._

"Are you done yet, or is glaring at mirrors your new hobby?" Said creep shouted from outside the stall.

"You realize I can't afford this, and wouldn't buy it if I could, right?"

"It can't look that bad." Okay, maybe the creep was right, I didn't look half bad. Except for the fact that we were in the game of death, fighting Noise, and running all over Shibuya on a daily basis. (And did I mention doing Algebra homework?) None of which needed to be done while wearing a freakin' cocktail dress. It was white silk, cut just above the knee, and gathered on the left side. More suitable for a wedding than the streets of Tokyo.

"Ren. Did you somehow die again? Open the door. Now." I pushed the door open with a creak, and heard an exasperated sigh.

"An expression like that could ruin your complexion, you know."

"Yeah, you_ would_ know that."

"Aside from the lack of a smile, you look nice. I'll have to beat off your admirers, can't have anyone kidnapping my partner."

"Not. Laughing."

"I'm serious. You should get it. Actually, I'll pay for half of it." I looked at him blankly for a minute. He did realize this was possibly the worst outfit to play in, right? But, I couldn't deny that it would feel good to take money from Joshua.

"Sure I guess. Just let me get my old stuff."

Ten minutes later, we walked out of Pegaso with my old clothes in a plastic bag. Stepping outside, I felt myself become lighter. Like being in the RG was a weight.

"Hey, did you know that being alive makes you slower?" Joshua crossed his arms.

"Really?"

"Really. I felt a lot lighter when I walked out here. I'll race you to WildKat if you want proof." He laughed slightly, and that trademark smirk returned.

"Most of the clothes have special abilities. Maybe that dress made you faster, or lighter."

"Clothes with superpowers. Why not? Still, let's go to WildKat. I'm pretty sure death constitutes a longer lunch break."

"Okay, of you insist. Follow my lead, and we'll be there in no time." I took off running, passing Joshua in a couple seconds.

"You wish.

* * *

Kyou

* * *

I sat at WildKat, drumming my fingers against a coffee mug. Rhyme sat across from me, picking nervously at a cinnamon roll.

"So, what's your sister like, Kyou?" I guess she was trying to break the awkward silence.

"Well, you'll know her when you see her. I leave it at that. Didn't you say you have a brother? Is he in the game?" Rhyme opened her mouth to answer, but the sound of a jingling bell cut her off.

"Mr. H, where are you?" An unmistakable voice growled.

"Ren?!" My sister looked around and noticed us at a table in the corner.

"Kyou! Are you okay? I mean, besides the fact that we've been shot to death and forced into the most sadistic game ever." I laughed. Ren had a special talent for lightening the mood when things got too serious.

"I'm okay actually. My partner's cool, the missions aren't too hard…by the way, who'd you team up with?" This was followed by a long sigh, and the bell above the door jingling again.

"Somebody mention me?"

"Might as well have. _This_-" Ren jabbed a finger at Joshua, "-is my partner."

"_Wow_. Poor you."

"Shut up. Who's unlucky enough to be stuck with you?" Rhyme walked over to us and held out her hand.

"I'm Raimu Bito, but you can call me Rhyme."

"Ren Hanasaki. Kyou's sister."

"Your partner…" Joshua smiled, something I never thought I'd see, and took Rhyme's hand.

"Yoshiya Kiryu. Call me Joshua." Ren muttered something under her breath that may or may not have been 'gay', and stalked back to the kitchen.

"Ignore her. She's a bit prickly."

"Stuff it, Josh. If you hadn't taken us to Udagawa, we wouldn't be in this mess. And just so you know? People generally don't like being dead. She can be as pissed as she wants."

"Kyou…" Rhyme murmured, "I'm not saying that death is_ ever_ a good thing, but if you weren't dead, I might not have a partner. Besides, I'm sure that Joshua didn't intend for anything to happen to you or Ren." At that moment, Ren stormed out of the kitchen dragging her boss by the collar of his shirt.

"I'll make this simple, Sanae. Tell me everything you now about the game. Now." He laughed and scratched the back of his neck.

"How did you know I knew anything about the game at all?"

"I work here. You think I've never overheard any phone calls?" He sighed, defeated, and sat down at a table.

"Okay. Sit down everyone." There was a scraping of chairs against tiled floors, and I felt Ren's nails digging into my wrist, pulling me into a seat next to her. Her other hand was latched around Joshua's hand, and was probably about to start drawing blood. At least I wasn't him.

"I'm going to guess that Josh explained everything to you yesterday, Ren?" She nodded stiffly.

"Kyou, I talked to Rhyme before she made a pact with you. You know the basic rules?"

"Yeah. What's left?" He paused for a long time, contently watching Ren's grip tighten around Joshua's hand. Little drops of blood were starting to form around her fingertips.

"Entry fees. You don't play the Reaper's Game without a price."

"Thank you, Sherlock." I was really glad I wasn't Josh right now.

"I mean that they take something valuable from you. Besides your life. Whatever's most important to you." Ren's eyes went wide.

"Well…the things that are most important to me. I still have all of them. My memories, my remaining family-" I felt the death grip on my hand loosen "- and the last gifts from my parents. If there's anything more important, I either forgot it, or the Reapers forgot to take it."

"Well, first of all, let me tell you who's in charge of the fees. The Reapers are an organization, headed by a Game Master, Conductor, Producer, and the Composer. The last having the most power. Second, everyone has an entry fee."

"How is that possible? There must be millions of people in Shibuya, how could the Composer know the most important thing in everyone's life?"

"Well, I don't know how he does it, but he's never missed anyone as far as I'm concerned." I checked my hand; the one Ren wasn't squeezing the life out of. I still had the chain tattoo. I still remembered my name, and had all my memories. Was there something about us that set Ren and me apart from the other players?

"You know-" I wondered how Joshua was keeping his voice level. "-Maybe he just liked you. He can play favorites."

Suddenly, there was a pounding sound on the door of the café. We all jumped up, Mr. H shoving the door open. There were several yellow wolf Noise poised directly outside the door, snarling and barking. I dug in my pocket for the pins, but I felt Ren grip my arm, telling me to stop. Joshua was clenching his fist in concentration, glaring back at the wolves. I sucked in a deep breath of air as he unclenched his fist, aiming his palm at the Noise. Pale blue columns of light enveloped them, and they faded into static. Joshua leaned against the wall for support, breathing heavily.

In the end, only one thing was certain: there was no way Yoshiya Kiryu was the average player.

* * *

Day 2 Closed

* * *

That was a fun chapter to write. Especially squeezing the life out of Joshua's hand. As usual, read, enjoy, and review! Rewards are fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies and milk.

-Memoire


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